Iblis:  The Story of a Superhero
by IblisAdmin
Summary: Cideon Rodgers was an average teen, until a tragic event leaves him waking up in the hospital. Donning the alter-ego, Iblis, he sets out into the crime filled streets of Crystal Springs to discover the source of his newfound abilities.
1. Episode 1: Genesis

_Genesis, Part I_

LET'S GOOOOOOOO! Cideion Amadeus Rogers grappled with his alarm clock as the lyrics to his favorite song played at earsplitting volume (At least to him, that's what it sounded like). After managing to beat the clock into submission, which consisted of him yanking out the power cord, he groaned and rolled over in his bed. He stared out his window as sunshine poured into his room. He groaned again and pulled the covers over his head.

_What a lovely day, no doubt Dad is going to make me mow the lawn today. _Cid sighed as he thought about the chore that was ahead of him.

He decided that it was probably better for him to go ahead and get out of bed. He was going to miss the bus if he didn't hurry.

Cid rolled over and stared at his clock. Panic set off. The clock read 7:30am. _Alright. Somehow my alarm clock magically jumped forward thirty minutes! I'm going to be late for school! Again! _

Cid tumbled out of his bed, sheets and all, and onto the floor, hitting his head on his nightstand. "Ow… owwowowowowow…" he muttered in pain. He untangled himself from his sheets and pulled himself into a standing position. He picked up his sheets and threw them on his bed before dashing to his closet. _What to wear? What to wear? _Cid asked himself before finally settling on a simple black tee and blue jeans. He shot a look back to his clock. It read 8:00am. Cid groaned. _School starts in 20 minutes. _

He ran to the mirror. The thing staring back made him grimace. His dark brown hair was in a matted frizz around his head. His dark brown eyes had bags the size of Texas, a side effect of falling asleep at 3:00 am last night. And there was a giant pimple on his forehead that was clearly distinguishable from the rest of his peach-colored skin.

He dashed into his bathroom and grabbed his brush. He managed to mold his almost-shoulder-length hair back into his traditional hairstyle, using his bangs to cover up that pimple that was so obvious only moments ago. He splashed water on his face and brushed his teeth to complete the procedure and then rushed back to his room.

He grabbed his backpack and slid down the stairs. _Gotta sneak past Mom. _Cid thought as he tiptoed past the kitchen archway. Cid knew that his mother was going to make him get some food for breakfast, meaning that he'd probably miss the bus. He did NOT want to "jog" to school again.

A sharp, distinctly feminine voice echoed down the hallway. The owner of the voice was the small brunette sitting at the kitchen table. Her hair was shoulder length, and she sat with an air of sophistication about her. Cid's mom…

"And just where do you think you are going, Cideion Amadeus Rogers?" Mrs. Rogers shouted over the steady click of the keys on her work laptop.

He had been caught. Cid sighed and made his way over to the refrigerator. _Does she always have to catch me? _He asked himself.

After staring into the refrigerator for five minutes and not finding anything even remotely edible, Cid made his way to the pantry. He pulled out the only box of cereal, Fiber-Os. _Oh great, more Blandy-Woes. _Cid told himself as he poured himself a bowl.

At that very moment, a man entered the room. He was very plain looking. His iron-gray hair was tied into a ponytail, and he wore a plain black business suit with a plain black tie. Mr. Rogers casually strolled over to where Mrs. Rogers was sitting and gently kissed her on the cheek. He then turned his attention to Cid.

"How's my son this morning?" He said with a sparkling grin.

Cid felt no need to hide the truth from his parents. "I overslept and I'm probably going to miss the bus again," he said.

Mr. Rogers chuckled and placed his large, light brown hand on Cid's shoulder. "Then I guess you'd better hurry," he said.

The faint sound of a diesel engine roaring up Cid's street caused his heart to drop. It was 8:10am. His bus was coming, and Cid was nowhere near ready.

"That sounds like it could be your bus!" Mr. Rogers stated excitedly. All he needed was a foam finger and a soda drinking hat. Seeing Cid chase after his school bus seemed to be Mr. Rogers' favorite sport. Well, that and dog racing…

Cid was not too fond of his father's apparent excitement about Cid missing his bus. Cid stood up, grabbed his bowl, dashed to the sink, and dumped it before dashing out the door.

He made it outside just in time to see the large cheddar-colored bus barreling down his street, with Cid and his house in the rearview mirror.

"ARGH!" Cid screamed in frustration. This was the second time that he had missed his bus during the course of this school week, _and it is only Tuesday, _he told himself. Cid noticed that he felt surprisingly light. He had left his book bag in the kitchen. _I guess I would have missed the bus anyways, _he told himself. He turned and stepped back into the house.

His father was standing in the kitchen. His mother had disappeared.

"Did you miss the bus?" he asked, all the humor and amusement gone from his face. As much as he enjoyed watching Cid chase after the bus, he always seemed to forget what missing the school bus meant.

"Yeah," Cid replied blankly.

Mr. Rogers sighed. "We really need to get you your license. I guess I have to take you to school today, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, I would think so," Cid said.

Mr. Rogers grabbed his key and walked to the garage door. "I'm in the car," he said.

Cid nodded and turned to retrieve his book bag from his room. He noticed that he had left his History essay on his bed. He would have never noticed it had he rushed out the house and caught his bus. After thanking the homework gods for having mercy on his soul, he grabbed the paper and stuffed it in his book bag before he left the room.

Ω

Cid arrived at school at 8:25am. _Great, I'm late for Gordon's class again. _As he approached the door to his classroom, he peered inside. Mr. Gordon, a large man with a monotonous voice and a receding hairline, was deep into a lecture and was writing on the board. He continued writing and was seemingly oblivious to Cid's entrance into the room.

Just as Cid was sitting down, Mr. Gordon abruptly paused from his speech and turned around to glare directly at Cid.

A look of confusion spread across Cid's face.

"Mr. Rogers. Do you have something for me?" He asked, tapping his desk expectantly.

Cid stood and handed Mr. Gordon his late pass, and returned to his seat.

Mr. Gordon cleared his throat, and continued to glare at Cid and tap his desk expectantly.

The blonde kid that sat behind Cid (and also appeared too old for high school) smirked and tapped Cid on the shoulder. "He's waiting for the essay we were supposed to write on genealogy. You did do one, right?" he asked.

Cid's eyes grew wide as he scrambled through his backpack, throwing all of its contents on the floor. He rummaged through his backpack some more, and then he rummaged through his stuff on the floor. He went back to his backpack, then back to the floor. Then the light went off in his head. He pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket (He put it there during his way to class for easy access) and held it in the air. "Ah HAAA!" He exclaimed, a triumphant grin on his face. His joy was met with a few snickers throughout the room.

Mr. Gordon did not share in his joy. He scoffed at the condition of Cid's paper. "Missed the bus again, did we? Well maybe you should wake up earlier." He stated, casually tossing Cid's paper into the trash as the words left his mouth.

Cid's jaw dropped to the floor. "W…?"

"Your paper was in poor condition. I refuse to grade it. Take your seat Mr. Rogers," Mr. Gordon commanded.

_Whattheheckjusthappenedhere? _Cid's thoughts were a mess of shock induced gibberish. It took him a minute to realize that he was still standing in the aisle, staring at Mr. Gordon with a shocked and dumbfounded look on his face. He didn't awaken from his shocked stupor until a couple of his classmates starting giggling. Feeling his face flushing, he quickly turned around and returned to his seat.

Before sitting down, he noticed that the blonde kid was on the brink of exploding with laughter (tears were already taking up residence in his dark blue eyes). Ultimately, the kid collected himself, scoffed, and shook his head.

"Keep this up Cid, and your grades are going to look as bad as mine," he stated sarcastically. Cid willed himself back to his seat. Then he put his forehead in his hands. Mr. Gordon continued with his lecture.

The person that sat to Cid's right, a ravishing auburn haired girl, shot the kid an ugly glare. "And how the hell is that supposed to help?" she asked. The kid shrugged and went back to drawing his comic book characters. Celine laid a reassuring hand on Cid's shoulder.

Cid's two best friends since childhood, Celine Patterson and Ronnie McCormick, were always arguing. Ronnie's blunt and brash attitude always seemed to clash with Celine's nurturing, and sometimes naïve, personality.

"Are you alright, Cid?" Celine asked.

"I'm a little PO'ed, but other than that… I'm okay I guess," Cid responded.

Mr. Gordon droned on about his theories on atoms in the background…

Ronnie started snickering again. Cid quickly discovered what the source of it was. Mr. Gordon has a large stain on the back of his shirt.

Celine shushed them both before turning back to Gordon's lecture. She caught playful glares from Ronnie and Cid. Seeing them both from the corner of her eye, she rolled her eyes, opened her notebook to a blank page, and scribbled something on it before passing it to Cid.

The note read:

You two should realllllllly pay attention. Gordon already sent someone out of class.

Reading the note over Cid's shoulder, Ronnie smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "Celine, do you see that poop stain on the back of his shirt? That's a category one s*** stain. That's a poop stain to end all poop stains," he stated matter-of-factly.

Cid shook his head and tried to pay attention to the lecture. At that very moment, a paper ball flew over Cid's head and struck Mr. Gordon in the back of the head. The teacher immediately turned red, and the veins in his neck began to pulsate. He turned around and glared in Cid's general direction. He seemed like he was going to explode, but instead he fell completely calm. He sighed and returned to his lecture.

Celine shot Ronnie a wild glance, her shoulder length auburn hair flying around her head in a hurricane of fibers as she turned to faced him. "What the heck was that for? Are you trying to get kicked out, as per usual?" She asked him.

"Aaaaaah! Demon lady! Hey, aren't you a little young to be asking me those types of questions?" Ronnie whispered sarcastically.

Celine groaned and clenched her fingers at Ronnie. "And it's not a poop stain, he spilled his coffee when he came in the room," she muttered.

"How are you today, Cid? Guess what? I have something for you…" she whispered, turning her attention from Ronnie to Cid. (Ronnie seemed slightly put off by this.) She reached in her bag and pulled out a newspaper. She showed it to Cid. "The Crystal Springs Chronicle" and the cover story was "Man or Menace? The Paranormal Epidemic!" Celine turned to page 5, and handed the newspaper to Cid. Mr. Gordon seemed oblivious to all their activities, as he continued to lecture by paying his chalkboard more attention than his class. Cid read the circled area of the page:

**Crystal Springs Spotlight: Arlena Rogers**

Arlena Rogers works for the Scion Technology, a branch of the Oracle Science Center. Her team was the team that discovered the nature of paranormal abilities within humans. Her work has proven that these paranormal powers are the result of the activation of two extra genes on the X chromosome donated by the mother, the X gene and the Z gene.

"The X-gene produces primary abilities, usually the ones that are the most easily controlled by the paranormal. The Z-gene is the mystery here. We have yet to unlock its capabilities, but we do know that all other powers exhibited by a paranormal, outside of the first one displayed, are the result of the Z-gene. We also know that the Z-gene is completely dependent on the X-gene's coding," Rogers told us.

When asked about the steps her team would take next, she replied "Our group goal is the further analysis of these two genes and their secrets, and although some members of our team wish to attempt to duplicate these miracles, we cannot legally attempt to manipulate  
>DNA at this point.<p>

Rogers is married with one child, and is a local resident, living on the outskirts of the city.

Diane Walker

Journalist

Crystal Springs Chronicle

Cid noticed that Celine was beaming in the seat next to him. "I saw it when I was looking for the cover story. Why didn't you tell me that your mother was so famous?" she asked, her dark green eyes twinkling in admiration.

Cid shrugged. "I guess I never really considered it. I've never known what she did when she went to work. This is news to me as well," he replied. He handed the newspaper back to Celine, and she put it back in her bag.

"How do you not know what your mom does for a living?" She asked, shaking her head in disapproval.

Cid was about to respond, but at that very moment, the bell for the end of class rang. "Lunch?" Celine asked as she turned to exit the room. Cid nodded, and she grabbed her bag and left.

As Cid rose to leave as well, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Dude, when is it going to happen?" Ronnie asked. Cid turned around to see that Ronnie had an annoying smirk on his face.

"What do you mean?" Cid asked.

"Duuuuuuude… Stop pretending like you don't like this girl and ask her out already, because if you don't, I will. Have you seen her boobs?" Ronnie asked.

Cid shook his head. "Ronnie, when are you going to drop it? We're just friends," Cid said with an embarrassed smile.

"Bull$&#%... Yall are sweet on each other, and you know it," Ronnie stated confidently.

Cid shook his head and left the room, with Ronnie nagging him about Celine the entire time.

Ω

A couple of hours later, the three of them met for lunch. Ronnie's excuse for joining Cid and Celine was "not having anywhere else to sit".

"So why don't you know what your parents do for a living, Cid?" Celine asked before they had completely taken their seats.

"I'm not too close to either of them. You know the deal. Rich couple gets sloppy and has a kid. Outside of the basics, I can't say I spend too much time with them. They're always busy," Cid said in response.

Ronnie scoffed. "At least you have parents," he commented bitterly. "My parents didn't even care enough about me to even try. They left me on the doorstep of the local homeless shelter and never looked back. Part of me wants to think that they deserved what they got in the end," he continued. Cid could see an uncontrollable anger building in his eyes.

"Did you guys see the cover story?" Celine earnestly asked, also sensing the growing tension at the table.

"Nah. I didn't see it. I can't say I f***ing care either…" Ronnie muttered as he stood up and left the table, dumping his untouched food into the trash can as he left the cafeteria.

"Did I say something wrong?" Celine asked.

"You didn't. He's just sensitive about the parent subject. He lost both his parents to murder the same night they abandoned him," Cid replied.

"Yeah I know, but if they abandoned him, then why does he care so much?" Celine said.

"They were his parents, Celine. You can't expect Ronnie to just dismiss them like that. I know he just said what he said, but Ronnie is still bitter about their deaths," Cid said.

"Do you think he's convinced himself that they were trying to protect him?" Celine asked.

"I don't know what he's thinking, to be honest. All I know is, despite my less than perfect relationship with my parents, I'd still be crushed if they died," Cid answered.

"Yeah I understand. It'd be the same way if I lost mine. I think I want to go talk to him," Celine said. And with that, she got up from the table and left out the door in pursuit of Ronnie.

Cid found himself completely alone at a table for six… "Great, now both of my friends are gone," Cid said with a sarcastic chuckle. He noticed that Celine left her newspaper behind. Cid picked it up and read the first two paragraphs of the cover story.

Man or Menace? The "Evolution" of Mankind

Mankind has historically found an astute minority of its population to be deemed "different" from the rest. Legends tell of superhumans that carried the power of gods. Whether it was Samson of the Bible or Achilles of Greek Mythology, mankind has always known of a select few to possess extraordinary powers.

However, on November 25th of the year 2000, the health and science communities documented the first evidence of a "superhuman". Little is known about this discovery, other than the fact that the project was codenamed "Lucy". Now, on the 14th anniversary of the event, we reflect over the current state of affairs in our world, the "Paranormal Epidemic".

CONTINUED IN SECTION A-7

Cid put the newspaper down and finished his lunch.

Ω

After a lackluster final period in school, Cid returned to his house. As he entered his house, he noticed that both his parents were sitting at the table. They had been waiting for him.

Cid could only stare with a blank expression at his parents' solemn expressions.

Mr. Rogers motioned for Cid to take a seat at the seat. At that point Cid knew that something was wrong, he slowly walked over to the table before taking his seat.

Mrs. Rogers cleared her throat and broke the silence. "Cideion, we have some news for you… I don't know if you already know this or not, but there has been an accident at my job," she stated.

"What kind of accident?" Cid asked uneasily.

Sensing his son's uneasiness, Mr. Rogers nudged Mrs. Rogers.

Mrs. Roger's shot her husband a worried glance.

Mr. Rogers shook his head, "He deserves to know, Arlena," he stated.

"I deserve to know… what?" Cid asked as the tension in the room began to build.

Mr. Rogers stared straight into his son's worried eyes. "Cid, my son, I'm afraid that we haven't been completely honest with you these past couple of years…" he stated…

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. Episode 2: Genesis, Pt 2

_Genesis, Part II_

"Okay… So I'll start things off by saying that I am a research agent for your mother's science lab…" Mr. Rogers stated.

_Well I guess I know what he does now. _Cid told himself, nodding in response to his father's statement.

His mother was the next to speak. Sighing, she began her statement. "There was an accident at the Oracle Science Center, where your father and I work. The entire building is in flames…" She stated.

Cid failed to see the significance of the statement, and it showed on his face.

His mother continued, ignoring Cid's look of confusion. "Sooooo… Your father and I are most likely unemployed now," she said.

Mr. Rogers scoffed and shook his head. At that moment, Mrs. Rogers had a breakdown.

"I'M TRYING TO TELL HIM, OKAY? It's just too hard!" she screamed hysterically. At that point, Mrs. Rogers began crying, something Cid had never seen her do. She got out of her chair and sprinted to the stairs. Disappearing into the basement, she slammed the door behind her.

Mr. Rogers sighed, "She told me she was ready, Cid. We'll try again tomorrow," he stated.

Cid was becoming impatient… "Dad? What's going on? Why did mom freak out? Mom NEVER freaks out. Now I'm freaking out. How come you aren't freaking out? How can it be so bad that it is making even mom cry?" he asked desperately

Mr. Rogers shook his head. "This is not my story to tell. I have been against it from the beginning. We only want what is best for you, Cid. You know that, right?" he asked his son.

Cid did understand. It was something that only his mother could tell him. He nodded and stood up to leave.

His father spoke. "We love you, kiddo. We only want what's best for you," he said, which was profound because Cid had never heard anything even remotely similar from his father before.

_This must be really bad, _Cid told himself, trying to think rationally despite the overwhelming surge of emotion he was feeling, but to his father he said "I know, and I understand." And with that, Cid left to go to his room, while Mr. Rogers went to the basement door to attempt talk to Mrs. Rogers.

Cid entered his room and flopped on his bed. He found himself staring at the wall, lost in his own thoughts. _What are they trying to tell me? It's bad enough that they lost their jobs, but they make it seem like their current unemployment is the GOOD news… What could be worse than that? And how could it be so bad that it made my mother, the "woman who never cries" completely lose her mind?_

If the Science Center was on fire, then it'll be on the news, Cid deduced.

He turned on the television and flipped to the news channel. The screen glowed bright orange as a large burning building on the screen. The blonde reporter at the scene seemed frantic. The adrenaline and excitement was evident in her voice as she spoke.

"This is Kathryn Davis, reporting from the outskirts of Crystal Springs, Illinois! I am at the site of the Oracle Technology building, which is now engulfed in flames! Witnesses say that there was a massive explosion, followed by a second, smaller one. The entire building is engulfed in the inferno, and emergency crews have no methods for putting the fire out. The missing/body count is already at 11 people. All buildings within a mile radius of the building have been successfully evacuated. Back to you, guys," She stated, giving her account of events.

The shot changes back to the anchors. Cid turned the TV off.

At that moment, his cell phone began to ring… It was Celine.

He answered the phone. "Hello?" he said.

Celine answered with a nervous "Hello?" which Cid found weird because Celine was rarely nervous about anything…

"What's up?" Cid asked.

"Nun much…" Celine said sheepishly.

"Celine? What is it? Is something wrong?" he asked her.

Celine sighed. "No Cid, nothing's wrong. I just want to ask you something…" she said, the nervousness gone from her voice.

"Ask away then," Cid stated.

"I'd rather talk to you in person…" Celine said in response.

"Okay then, lunch?" Cid asked.

"No. I'll come over tomorrow after school…" Celine stated.

"Hey, did you hear about the Science Center?" Cid asked in a vague attempt at changing the subject.

Celine's demeanor immediately changed. "Oh… my… gosh! I did! Is your mom alright?" She asked.

Cid chuckled. "Yeah, she's fine, and so is my dad… Turns out he works there too… Who woulda thunk it?" he said.

"Oh really? Wow that's wild…" Celine responded animatedly.

Cid could hear a random voice screaming in the background. Followed by Celine screaming "Okay Mom! I'm going to do it now!" in a frustrated voice.

She returned to the phone in a grumpy mood. "Mom says I have to do the dishes, so I have to go now… Talk to you tomorrow?" she asked.

"Definitely!" Cid said with a smile.

"Goodnight, Cid…"

"Goodnight, Celine…"

Cid hung up the phone and prepared himself for sleep.

Ω

Cid didn't get to talk to either of his parents on the following morning. Both had disappeared from the house before he woke up.

However, the Oracle Technology Center explosion was the talk of the school. As he walked through the hallways, he heard many of his classmates talking about the subject. The more intellectual students were speculating the cause of the attack, while the others were commenting on the "totally awesome green flames" from the first explosion.

Cid felt a heavy hand fall on his shoulder. He turned his head to see Ronnie walking next to him.

"Wassup bro?" Ronnie said. He had an unmistakable grin was spread over his face, as if he was expecting some kind of amazing response to his question.

Cid couldn't hide his confusion. "I really don't know, Ronnie. Why don't you tell me?" he asked in response.

The excitement faded from Ronnie's face. Cid obviously did not give him the amazing response that he was looking for. "Darn… I was hoping that you might be able to give me the deets on those fireworks last night. My science teacher is having us do a science report on it, for whatever reason, and I figured that you'd be able to tell me since your mother works there," he said.

"Yeah, I think my mother was trying to tell me about it, but she ended up crying…" Cid stated blankly.

Ronnie seemed dumbfounded. "Wow… I didn't see your mother as the type of person with the capacity to cry…" he said.

Cid felt his heart sink as the image of his despondent mother, usually so strong and stoic, reappeared in his head. _What did they want to tell me? _He asked himself.

Ronnie's face returned to its signature smirk. He slapped his hand on Cid's shoulder. "I have an idea! We are going to Costarini's after school. I could really use some Italian ice, and I know you could too," he stated, "And don't even think about trying to get out of this," he said before Cid had the chance to protest.

Cid thought about arguing (he really wanted to find out what his parents wanted to tell him), but thought against it. After all, it was impossible to change Ronald McCormick's mind once he had it set on something.

Sighing in defeat, Cid chuckled. "Okay, you have me beat. We'll go after school," he said.

Ronnie let out a celebratory screech and took off down the hallway, shouting something that sounded like an animalistic "I'LL SEE YOU AFTERSCHOOL!" back at Cid as he disappeared around the corner.

Ω

They met at Costarini's Italian Ice Parlor a couple of hours later.

"Yah, so mah fostaw muva was saying… YEEEEOUCH! BRAINFREEEEEEEEZE!" Ronnie said as he tried to talk and down his Italian Ice in one grandeur motion.

Cid laughed and shook his head. _It's this kind of stuff that makes Ronnie McCormick a great freaking guy to hang out with_, he told himself.

Meanwhile, Ronnie had overcome his brain freeze. "Sooooo… I was saying that my foster mother is saying that it's about time that I get a job. I was thinking about getting one here at this place," he said.

Cid shot Ronnie an accusing glare.

"NO! IT'S NOT BECAUSE I WANT TO HANG OUT WITH ASHLEY… OKAY?" Ronnie screamed in exasperation.

At that moment, a girl appeared at the front counter. She had clearly just arrived to work, as she was setting up her cash register.

Ronnie contorted his face into a confident smirk, rose from his chair, and strolled over to where she was standing.

"Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnd he's gone," Cid said as he ate his ice in solitude, while Ronnie was unsuccessfully trying to speak to Ashley.

"Soooooo! Ashley! How are you?" he asked.

Ashley ignored him completely.

"Lovely weather we're having, don'tcha think?" Ronnie asked her.

Ashley turned to check the amount of ice in the machines.

"Can I buy you some ice?" Ronnie asked, desperate for a response.

Ashley turned to give him a confused glare, and then left to the back room that said "EMPLOYEES ONLY".

Cid chuckled as Ronnie returned to the table, completely defeated.

Ronnie shot Cid a glare as he sat down. "Who are you laughing at? Do you see why I have to get a job here now? There's no other way to get her to speak to me!" he said with a confident smirk.

"She probably won't talk to you even if you DID have a job here. She's just not that into you," Cid said in response.

"She will! She'll HAVE to! We'll be co-workers!" he said.

"Sure Ronnie. Whatever you want to believe…" Cid said in response.

"Hey man, not everyone can have a relationship like you and Celine's," Ronnie said.

"What do you mean?" Cid asked, clearly confused.

"DUDE… She loves you… And you love her, but both of you are in denial. It's a shame really. When are you going to give up the charades?" Ronnie asked.

"There's no charade Ronnie. It is what it is. We're just friends," Cid stated.

Upon hearing that statement, Ronnie burst into laughter. "Are you crazy? Come on now! It's so cliché! Girl and boy are friends since childhood. Boy likes girl, and girl likes boy, but neither will admit it because they are scared to f*** up the relationship. Oh! BTW… I'm that annoying friend who always points out the obvious, like the fact that Celine has huge boobs!" he said, pointing to himself with the last statement.

"We're just friends, Ronnie…" Cid stated.

Ronnie threw his hands up at his sides in defense. "I'm just saying, man… You'll realize that I'm right sooner or later," he said.

Cid's face turned skeptical. "So you can predict the future now?" Cid asked.

Ronnie smiled his arrogant smile. "Yes! I can predict the future! That's why I am predicting that ASHLEY WILL GO TO HOMECOMING WITH ME!" he said, emphasizing his final words.

This statement actually got a response out of Ashley. She shot Ronnie a menacing glance.

"Success! She noticed me!" Ronnie screamed in delight.

Ashley scoffed and returned to her work.

"See, Cid? I'm wearing her down," Ronnie stated confidently.

Cid shook his head. "Facepalm…" he said, smacking the palm of his hand to his forehead. "I think it's time for us to leave…" he stated.

Ronnie shrugged. "I suppose," he said in response.

Ronnie made sure to shoot one more suggestive smirk in the direction of an increasingly annoyed Ashley before walking out the door, and Cid shook his head in disgust as he followed.

Ω

They arrived at Ronnie's house about 30 minutes later. Shouting and the sound of crashing chinaware could be heard from within the house.

Ronnie's faced contorted into an unmistakable frown. "It's a zoo in there, man. I know it is. How this woman could be allowed to adopt eleven kids is beyond me, and I'm not even including myself in that count," he said.

Cid didn't know how to respond.

"I mean I thank her for giving me a home after my parents died, but this is ridiculous. She's completely overwhelmed, dude," Ronnie continued. He gave Cid his signature shoulder-pat. "Well, I'm going to the zoo, so I'll see you at school tomorrow," he said as he began to move towards his house.

"Take a picture of the lions for me!" Cid joking shouted in response, moving away from the house.

Opening the door, Ronnie smirked. "If Timothy's hair grows any longer, he really will look like a lion too," he told himself as he stepped inside.

Ω

Cid's house was right down the street from Ronnie's. As Cid reached his own house, he noticed that something was wrong. The door was hanging off of its hinges, as if it had been taken off and put back on.

_Did someone break into our house? _Cid asked himself as he fought with his own instinct to run back down the street. _No… I have to find out what's going on_, he told himself, willing his body towards the broken door.

His body was screaming in alarm as he approached the house. He could feel his legs shaking and his palms sweating as he opened the broken door.

The house was a total wreck. The walls were smashed in spots, and there was glass and other debris everywhere.

As he approached the back of the house, he began to see bullet holes in the walls. _Oh no… _Cid told himself. Every fiber in his body was begging to escape the house, to run down the street calling for help. But he ignored these signs and continued to approach his family room.

What he saw in the room took away what little strength he had.

He fell to his knees as he surveyed the scene around him. The tears forming in his eyes blurred the figures in front of him and the blood on the walls.

He slowly dragged his body to the heaps in the center of the room, staring blankly in shock.

He checked the pulses of the two figures on the ground before completely breaking down.

He took the cold, lifeless body of his mother in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably.

His father was a little ways away, and his injuries suggested that he died trying to protect his wife. His neck was broken…

At that moment, Cid heard some sounds from the basement; the faint murmur of voices.

Then he heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

_No…. _he whispered in dismay as the footsteps grew louder. He tried to move himself, but he couldn't. His arms remained tightly clenched to his mother's lifeless body.

He stared in agony as the three figures emerged from the stairwell, two small ones and a giant. The giant was carrying a bat, and they were all carrying guns. (The giant had most likely killed Mr. Rogers)

The smallest one, the leader, contorted his face into a sadistic smirk as he saw Cid.

The second smallest one was busy surveying the documents that they had clearly taken from the lab in the basement. "Are we done with our business here, boss?" he asked the smallest one.

At that moment, Cid's legs found life! He scrambled to his feet and attempted to make a break for the door, but a dull thud against his jaw ended all his hopes of leaving.

It seemed to take forever for his body to hit the floor, as he slowly faded into the darkness, he saw the three figures closing in.

_Am I going to die here? _He asked himself as he lost consciousness.

TO BE CONTINUED


	3. Episode 3:  Genesis, Pt 3

_Genesis, Part III_

Cid could feel the blinding rays of sunlight on his face. He could also hear the dull beep of an EKG. He struggled to open his eyes, why was it such a struggle?

His extremely blurry vision captured the pale whiteness of a hospital room. As his vision slowly focused, he noticed the numerous machines and cords hooked up to his body. He was in a hospital.

A nurse soon entered the room. She noticed that Cid was attempting to move, and she pressed her hand to her mouth. She dashed out the room.

Cid tried to sit upright, but it was impossible. _Why can't I move? _He asked himself as he futilely tried to move his deadened muscles.

At that moment, the nurse returned to the room, with a couple of doctors in tow. The first doctor was a man of perhaps forty years in age who looked like an overgrown kindergartener. The small, slightly thin tuft of hair on the top of his head only aided in his childlike appearance. The second doctor was an older woman whose frayed beach blonde hair and stern but wrinkleless face suggested that she was trying to reacquire her glory years.

They both took notice of Cid's current situation when they entered the room. The first doctor's face changed to that of an excited school child, and even the female doctor widened her eyes in surprise.

The first doctor walked right up to the bed, grabbed a rolling chair, turned it around, and sat on it backwards, with his arms crossed over the back of the chair. The female doctor remained a distance from the bed and began conversing with the nurse while looking at her clipboard.

Cid noticed that the first doctor was still next to him, and was just staring at him with a "somewhat creepy" smile.

The doctor ultimately broke the awkward silence by speaking. "Hello! I'm Dr. Gabronski! How are you?" he said. His voice and mannerisms suggested that a five year old was living inside the man's body. Dr. Gabronski started rocking back and forth in his chair, unable to hide his excitement.

A brief chuckle escaped Cid's chest as he couldn't help but laugh at the comically immature doctor in front of him.

He started to speak, but the Dr. Gabronski beat him to the punch. "I can imagine that you are a little confused about what's going on. I would be too if I woke up in a hospital! Wait… I have woken up in a hospital before… I work here… Candy?" he offered, pulling an enormous bag of candy out of his pockets, which couldn't have possibly held the girth of the bag.

He began to stuff his face with candy. _What… the… heck… -_-? _Cid asked himself as he watched the doctor devouring his bag of candy.

"Well, since you didn't say anything, I'll just eat all this candy myself. Hey guess what? Did you know that you had a heart attack? Three, to be exact. I'm a cardiologist, and cardiologists know when people have heart attacks," the doctor remarked.

"No, I didn't know…" Cid stated. He noticed that his voice sounded dry and cracked, as if it hadn't been used in several days.

Before he could finish his sentence, the doctor started talking again. "Well, you had three of 'em. Most people die after two, but you survived three! Congratulations! Hey, do you know how you got here?" Dr. Gabronski asked, swallowing his candy.

"No, I don't know," Cid stated quietly..

"Ya know, that's a shame. You just show up on a public hospital's welcome mat in nothing but some underpants and you don't know how you got here? Are you on drugs?" Dr. Gabronski asked as he stuffed his face with two more handfuls of candy.

"No… Why would I be on drugs? Wait… What are you doing? OW!" Cid asked as pain shot through his chest because Dr. Gabronski had not only magically acquired a stethoscope, but had it pressed against Cid's chest. The other doctor and nurse looked up from the clipboard to see what all the noise was about before returning to the clipboard.

"Shutupshutup," the doctor stated. He listened to the same spot for about five straight minutes. "I've never heard a stronger heart before," the doctor declared, placing the stethoscope back in his jacket.

"Let's play a game! Dr. Anderson!" the doctor exclaimed happily, motioning for the other doctor to join him.

The nurse left and Dr. Anderson joined Cid and Dr. Gabronski. "Can we take him off the juice?" Dr. Gabronski asked.

"Did you check his vitals? If he's cleared, than I can take him off his drugs," Dr. Anderson stated. Her voice was cold and stern, and her tone suggested that she was talking to a child and not a full grown man.

_Great, my doctors are a child and Barbie's grandmother… Cid told himself._

As she began removing the needles from Cid's arms and legs, she addressed Cid. "Your name is Cid, correct? Please forgive Dr. Gabronski's antics. He is extremely immature, but you are talking to the number one cardiologist in the entire state of Illinois," she stated.

Once she had removed all of the needles, Cid noticed that the feeling in his muscles was returning to him. He also noticed that his hearing and eyesight were quickly becoming very sharp.

After disposing of the needles, Dr. Anderson returned to the bed. She began placing her palm against various points on Cid's body. "Can you feel this?" She asked.

Cid winced. _Oh I can feel it alright… _"Yes, I can feel that," he stated. His voice had almost immediately returned to normal.

Dr. Anderson smiled. "Good. Now stand up," she commanded.

Dr. Gabronski was just sitting in his chair munching on his candy bag, like he was eating popcorn at the movies.

Cid tried to sit upright. He was able to sit up, but not without considerable effort and pain. When he stood up, his legs collapsed and he would've fallen if Dr. Anderson hadn't caught him.

"Try again," Dr. Anderson commanded, she sounded like a mother trying to teach her child to walk.

When she let go of Cid, he felt strength flow through his legs. Standing quickly became easy. _I feel great! _Cid told himself. He began to jump up and down. Dr. Anderson's jaw dropped about as much as a person with a facelift could. Dr. Gabronski pointed at Cid and started bouncing up and down in his chair, ultimately choking on his candy.

"How did you do that?" Dr. Anderson asked while Dr. Gabronski grabbed his throat and fell out of his chair and behind the bed.

"Do what?" Cid asked.

"Mr. Rodgers, you had a full spinal tap and you just suffered three heart attacks. You were essentially paralyzed with a literally broken heart. Standing should've been impossible for at least a few more days. The only reason I had you stand was so I could show you that it was impossible, yet here you are, jumping up and down! Do you understand why we are so amazed at your recovery?" Dr. Anderson explained, showing slight emotion on her statuesque face.

Gabronski reappeared a few seconds later, desperately trying to catch his breath…

"DUDE… you… totally… jumped… That's… impossible!" he stated between breaths.

"I already explained this to him, Dr. Gabronski," Dr. Anderson stated. Dr. Gabronski sank behind the bed again. Cid couldn't tell if he was choking again or just embarrassed.

Upon seeing the general look of amazement on the two doctors' faces, Cid smiled. "Does this mean that I can leave?" he asked.

Dr. Gabronski quickly reappeared, stuffing three more fistfuls of candy in his mouth, completely ignoring the fact that he had just choked. He turned to Dr. Anderson, as if expecting an answer.

Dr. Anderson sighed, "We have to run a few more tests, but if you pass these tests, yes, you will be able to leave. However, you must return in a week to follow-up with us," she stated.

"Got it," Cid stated.

Dr. Gabronski let out a celebratory "Woot! Woot!" in response to hearing the news that Cid would have to come back.

"Okay, since you have already proven that you can stand on your own, we need to do a few diagnostic tests. Dr. Gabronski will administer the test," Dr. Anderson stated.

Dr. Gabronski popped up and darted around the bed to where Cid and Dr. Anderson were standing. "Okay breathe in and out," Gabronski asked. Cid did as he was told.

"Now do ten jumping jacks," Gabronski asked. Once again, Cid as told.

"Okay last thing. Breathe in and out," Gabronski asked. Cid performed his final task.

"He's clear, doctor," Gabronski stated, pulling a second candy bag even larger than the first from his jacket pocket.

Dr. Anderson smiled (Or frowned. Cid couldn't tell). "Well in that case, you are free to leave! Your friends are waiting for you outside," she stated as Dr. Gabronski began devouring his second bag of candy. She opened her hand towards the door, encouraging Cid to leave.

Before Cid stood up to leave, he turned to Dr. Anderson. "Do you know what happened to me?" he asked. Dr. Anderson shook her head, but her change in demeanor (her smile-frown was now a simple frown-frown) and the way she avoided his gaze when doing so suggested that she knew more than she was letting on.

Determined to not press the matter, Cid started towards the door. The second he stepped through the door, he caught a brief glimpse of an object approaching at high speed out of the corner of his eye.

It happened in a split-second. Cid found himself instinctively raising his hand to defend himself. He caught the fist that was aimed at his head long before it made contact. Even still, Cid's own hand moved back slightly. The owner of the fist had to be strong.

He looked up at the owner of the fist. It was a tall, well built man with low, iron gray hair like his father's, but with browner skin. He wore a dark suit and tie. The sunglasses that completed his outfit immediately had Cid thinking about the Men-in-Black. His face was in an unmistakable frown, but it seemed natural at the same time.

Cid glared at the man. Something about him didn't seem right. _Maybe it's the fact that he just tried to attack me! _He told himself. He released the man's hand and took a few steps back. The man lowered his hand to his side.

"JUST WHAT WERE YOU TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH THERE?" Cid screamed. The doctors came rushing out of the room.

The man chuckled slightly before removing his sunglasses, revealing eyes that sent shivers down Cid's spine. "I was just trying to prove a point," the man stated. Coldly.

"Mr. Monroe! What point was that exactly? You have no rights to lay your hands on this child!" Dr. Anderson screamed.

"I wanted to test the boy's reflexes," the man responded. It was at this moment that Cid first took notice of the man's slightly British accent. He turned to Cid. "Hello Cid. Did you sleep well?" the man asked.

Cid found himself glaring back at this man, despite the total intimidation factor that the man created just by staring back. "Who are you?" Cid asked.

The man chuckled slightly. "Well, I'm going to tell you everything you need to know when we get home," he stated.

"When WE get home?" Cid asked.

The man smiled a somewhat menacing smile. "Yes Cid, when WE get home. You might as well drop the hostility act because I'm your new guardian. You will call me King," he stated.

Cid's jaw dropped. _I am NOT living with THIS guy… _he told himself.

"Mr. "King", if this behavior is any indication of what's to come, I'll make sure that you aren't his "guardian" for very long!" Dr. Anderson stated.

"Excuse me, doctor, but I was merely testing a theory that I had. Cid passed my test. Trust me, this won't be a regular occurrence," King stated with an obviously fake smile. He tossed Cid a bag. He then replaced his sunglasses and left without another word.

The doctors stood in silence and amazement.

Cid opened the bag and removed the clothes from it.

"Where's the bathroom?" he asked.

Upon being pointed to the bathroom and changing his clothes, Cid found himself standing in the hallway and not knowing where to go.

"CID? CID!" called a voice from down the hallway.

Cid turned around just in time to see Celine throw her arms around his torso. "I'm so glad you're okay," she stated.

"Group hug!" shouted a second voice. Cid and Celine were almost knocked off their feet by a yellow flash.

"Ronnie… get… off… of… me…" Celine demanded, trying to separate herself from the sandwich that she had become a part of.

"Nonono… Five more seconds!" Ronnie yelled, pulling Celine and Cid closer in a pseudo-bear hug.

Just when Cid thought that he was going to be suffocated, Ronnie released them.

Once she had caught her breath, Celine turned to Ronnie. "Next time, keep me out of that," she stated.

"Blah… whatever…" he said in response. "So, back from the dead, eh?" he asked Cid.

"Sure seems like it," Cid stated emphatically. "How long was I out?" he asked.

Ronnie began thinking… "In total?" he asked, "Twelve days, nineteen hours, and fifty-three minutes, give or take," he said matter-of-factly.

Cid sighed. "Do either of you know what happened?"

Ronnie and Celine shook their heads.

"We were hoping that you knew," Celine stated quietly. She avoided his glare in the same way that Dr. Anderson had.

_What's going on here? Why won't anyone tell me anything? _Cid asked himself as he strained to remember anything. However, all he received for his efforts was a gray mass of random images and a huge headache. "I remember Italian ice, and…"

He paused as the graphic image of his parents' death flashed into his brain.

"And what?" Celine asked.

_Please tell me it was a dream… _Cid pleaded, but he knew that it wasn't.

"My parents are dead… aren't they?" he asked, his heart sinking into his gut. His legs had also become somewhat weak again. With the plethora of events that occurred at the hospital today, he had almost forgotten how he ended up in the hospital in the first place.

Ronnie looked away, hanging his head. Celine pressed her hand to her mouth, small tears forming in her eyes.

"Yeah… I figured…" Cid stated softly. He felt his entire body become heavy.

_I'm an orphan… _He told himself.

"Cid… I'm so sorry…" Celine said softly.

Ronnie slammed his fist against the wall. "It's not fair! Why is it the good people who always have to suffer through this kind of stuff? First it was me, now it's my best friend?** WHY?" **he screamed. And with that, he stormed off down the hallway.

"Ronnie! Wait!" Celine yelled, but Ronnie had already disappeared out of the door.

She shook her head. "He has such a temper. You were right though Cid. The whole crime thing really hits home with him. I know I don't like him sometimes, but it really does suck that he's been alone most of his life," she stated.

"Yeah, but he's turned out fine, for the most part," Cid stated quietly.

"Do you want me to walk you out?" Celine asked.

"Sure…" Cid answered quietly.

"Okay…" Celine said.

And with that, they began to leave the hospital.

"Hey, what did you want to ask me that day?" Cid asked, desperate to shake the queasy feeling in his stomach.

"What are you talking about?" Celine asked.

"On the phone?" Cid asked.

"Oh… That... I don't even remember what it was anymore," she stated.

"Okay then," Cid responded, slightly disappointed.

Ω

Once Cid had dropped Celine off and walked a couple of extra blocks, he came to his house, or rather, what remained of it. The entire structure was a blackened ruin. He paused as a flood of memories from his last visit slowly returned to him. The unhinged door, the bullet holes, the blood. Everything seemed so freshly engrained into Cid's brain. Gone. Everything. His house. His parents. His **life**…

Cid crumpled to his knees as he tried to accept what was happening to him. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes again.

Eventually, a car appeared from around the corner. Upon closer inspection, Cid realized that it was a Black Crown Victoria. As it rolled up next to where Cid was kneeled, the driver's side window rolled down.

It was King…

"Get in," he commanded as Cid wiped his eyes to try to appear tougher than he actually felt at the current second.

"WHAT HAPPENED?" Cid demanded, his despair now replaced by anger. _If anyone knows anything, he does. _He told himself. _I don't know how I know he knows something, but he does…_

As if he anticipated this conversation, King tossed Cid a newspaper that was in his lap. The headline made his heart sink.

**Crystal Springs Chronicles: Up in Flames?**

The house of Arlena Rogers, the scientist featured in last week's "Crystal Springs Spotlight" section, was found engulfed in flames tonight. Dr. Rogers also worked at the Oracle Science Center, which was also destroyed by fire yesterday.

The remains of Rogers, 43, and her husband Quintin Rogers, 39, were found in the wreckage after emergency crews successfully doused the flames. "EMTs believe that the fire was caused by a gas leak within the house. We are very sorry to hear that one of the eminent scholars of our science community has passed. Our condolences go out to any surviving family.

The remains of Roger's son, CideonCideion Amadeus, 17, could not be found, leading many authorities to suspect foul play. "The fact that the son's remains have not been located is certainly suspicious. We plan to investigate all angles of this unfortunate tragedy," Police Commissioner Howard Wallace provided in an official statement.

CONTINUED ON PAGE A-7

"A fire?" Cid asked.

"Yes. Your parents, along with your house, perished in a fire approximately three weeks ago. YOU, however, were nowhere to be found. The doctors say that they found you on their doormat exactly one week after the fire. You were naked. Any ideas as to how that happened?" King asked.

Cid frowned. _Three weeks?_ He checked the date on the newspaper. November 26, 2014. "What's the date?" Cid asked King.

"It's December 19th," King stated in response.

_So it has been three weeks. _Cid sighed. He then realized that they had entered urban Crystal Springs.

"Things are going to be tough kid. You're just going to have to be strong through this," King told Cid.

_It wasn't a fire… _Cid told himself as they pulled up to a large office building.

"This is it," King told Cid as he parked the car.

Ω

After the reached King's Penthouse, which was the entirety of the 7th and 8th floors, Cid had some questions to ask.

"Okay, if you are really my guardian, then you are going to have to tell me something about yourself. Because as of right now, I definitely don't trust you," Cid stated.

King's eyes narrowed. "My name is King. I knew your parents long before you were born. A few years ago, your parents labeled me as next in line for you should something happen to them, and I owe them, so I didn't argue the point. So get over it. I'm stuck with you and you are stuck with me," he stated.

Cid found himself narrowing his own eyes. "That's it?" he asked.

King chuckled a somewhat menacing chuckle. "No, I actually have a couple of more things to say. My rules are simple. You stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours. However, I am going to demand that you attend self-defense training with me every morning at 6:00 am. I need to teach you not to get your a** handed to you every time you get into a rough situation," King continued.

_Six o-clock? There go my weekends… _Cid told himself. "How do you know that I can't handle myself?" he asked King.

"And where exactly are we?" Cid asked as he surveyed the glass windows that overlooked the rest of the city.

"This is my penthouse at the top of the NoirTech Building. I happen to be president of this small company, so yeah, I made my house on top of my office," King stated pridefully. "Any more questions?" he asked.

Cid shook his head, despite the fact that he had plenty more questions to ask.

"Good," King stated with a demented smirk.

Cid barely had time to react before King had connected a punch to his skull. Before Cid even had time to regain his senses, he had hit the floor.

King stood over him. "Lesson number one! If you can disable an opponent's senses, you can disable your opponent!" he bellowed.

Cid slowly picked himself up once he had regained his senses. _Who is this guy? _He asked himself.

He found himself glaring at King, who once again had a menacing look on his face. _And why do I have this eerie feeling in my spine? _He asked himself.

TO BE CONTINUED


	4. Episode 4:  Genesis, Pt 4

_Genesis, Part IV_

Cid groaned in pain as his face hit the mat for the umpteenth time. _F***! I've been doing this for three weeks and I still can't block his punches! I can see his hands, but it's like my body won't follow in time!_ Cid mumbled to himself as he yet again picked himself off of the ground.

"Cid, you've got to learn to **see! **Read and react Cid! Read AND react!" King screamed.

Cid took a defensive stance.

"On your guard!" King bellowed as he launched himself at Cid.

The blur that was King's hands yet again connected with Cid's skull, knocking him down. Standing over the downed Cid, King shook his head in disappointment. "Come **on**, Cid! I know you can do this! You already stopped me once! Remember that day at the hospital? You **stopped **me. You did it without thinking! Don't think! React! Remove yourself from your conscious mind!" King yelled.

Once again, Cid took his stance. He took a deep breath. _Don't think Cid… Don't… think about it… _he told himself.

King's face contorted into a twisted smile, and he launched himself at Cid again.

This time, his movements seemed slower. His hands were finally visible. In one swift, seamless motion, Cid raised his hands, parried King's strikes, and flipped King over his head.

King grunted in pain as his back hit the floor, followed by the rest of his body. Almost immediately, he started laughing. "Goooooood! Goooooood! THAT was what I was trying to get you to do! Congratulations! You just passed your first test!" he stated excitedly.

_I did it… I finally did it… How did I do that? _Cid asked himself as he reflected over the most recent string of events.

King stood up and dusted himself off. "You are free to leave for today. If I'm correct, you have school in two hours," he stated.

"Yeah, I do. It **is **Friday, ya know," Cid stated, already halfway out the door.

Ω

A few hours later, Cid strolled into Mr. Gordon's class. _Wow… I still can't believe that I'm not the last person to class nowadays. Then again, I also find it weird that I'm actually catching the bus nowadays. _He told himself as he took his seat.

Kids soon began entering the room. Cid noticed that almost all the kids avoided him nowadays, as if he was the plague. Some of the kids who were "caring" enough managed to give him a concerned look before sitting down. _It's strange how tragedy alienates people… _Cid told himself.

Eventually, after a few other students arrived, Celine and Ronnie entered the room.

Celine took her seat. Ronnie began drawing a fat, fire-breathing dragon on the board. He labeled it "Gordon".

"Hey Cid, how are you?" Celine asked.

"I'm fine, for the most part," Cid stated in response.

"Well that's good, I guess. What's your guardian like?" Celine asked.

"Well… Personally, **I **think he's crazy. But I'm getting to school on time nowadays, so it can't be that bad. I just wish that he knew how to cook more than tofu…" Cid stated with a slight chuckle.

After a moment of silence, Cid noticed that Celine was staring at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Cid… I'm worried about you. You just don't look the same as you did before the… um… _incident. _You don't have that light in your eyes anymore. I hate to point out the obvious, but I'm just worried. Cid, are you sure you're okay?" Celine asked.

_No… I'm not okay. My parents were brutally murdered. No one seems to realize that they were murdered. I have no one to talk to because they'll think I'm crazy. Even worse, I now live with a psychotic jerk that seems to get some kind of sick satisfaction from beating the living s*** out of me every morning. No… I'm not okay. I currently hate my life… _Cid told himself, but the words that came out of his mouth sounded more like "I'm fine…"

Celine frowned and began removing books from her backpack. "I guess I'll just drop it then," she stated rather harshly.

After Ronnie had finished his masterpiece, he took his seat.

"Dude, what did you do?" Ronnie asked, having quickly noticed Celine's obviously flustered temperament.

"I don't want to talk about it, Ronnie," Cid stated.

"Dude, I was just askin'," Ronnie responded, throwing up his hands as if to deflect blame from himself.

After a few more minutes and a few more students entered the classroom, Mr. Gordon entered. He took one look at the board, picked an eraser from the millions that adorned the board, and erased the entire drawing in one sweep. Without addressing the class, he dove into his lecture.

"Cid. CID!" Ronnie "whispered".

Cid noticed that he was staring blankly out the window. "Hmmm?" he responded, still lost in his own thoughts.

"Dude, what's eating you man? You just seem so spaced out nowadays," Ronnie asked.

Cid stared blankly at the floor.

"Cid? Okay, f*** it," Ronnie stated, returning to his sketching on his desk.

_Snap out of it Cid… You're alienating your two best friends, and it's been a month already. It's not like you were THAT close to your parents… You can't get all doomy, gloomy whenever someone mentions what happened… _he told himself.

"But they were still my parents…" Cid whispered.

"What did you say?" Celine and Ronnie both asked.

At that moment, a boy entered the classroom. His spiky hair stood up on his head, and he had piercings in his eyebrow and nostril. He had a look on his face that was a mix of apprehension and despair.

The guidance counselor entered behind him. She motioned for Mr. Gordon to join her. Once he had joined her, they held a brief discussion, and the counselor left.

With a sigh, Mr. Gordon addressed the class. "This is Jason Hiragazawa. He's new to this school and will be attending this class for the rest of the school year. Please introduce yourself, Jason," he commanded.

Jason shot the teacher a wary look, and then began speaking. "My name is Jason Hiragazawa. I am 15 years old and before today I went to Bethlehem High," he stated. He then glided over to an empty seat and sat down without another word.

Celine turned to Cid. "Isn't Hiragazawa the name of that crime organization? I'm pretty sure it is. I'm going to do some research on it," she stated.

"Yeah," Cid stated.

Ω

After school was over, Cid, Celine, and Ronnie met up to walk home.

"So, what do you guys think about that Jason Hiramawhatsit kid? He seemed kinda weird to me," Ronnie stated.

"He seems like a pretty shy kid. I bet he switches schools a lot," Celine stated.

"Yeah," Cid stated quietly.

"Ashley!" Ronnie screamed at the top of his lungs, spotting Ashley Jones, the girl from Costarini's, halfway down the street. When she didn't respond, Ronnie took off after her. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!" he screamed back at Cid and Celine. Celine was about to call for him to come back, but he was already halfway up the street.

"Wow… I can't believe he just did that…" Celine muttered. "Okay, zombie-boy. It's just me and you now. Let's go," she declared, grabbing Cid by the collar and dragging him along.

"Wait… Celine… I can walk on my own," Cid mumbled, unsuccessfully trying to remove himself from Celine's grasp.

Ω

After Celine had dragged Cid a couple of blocks, they stopped and she let him go. "Okay, we're in the sketchy part of town now. It's getting dark too. Time to wake up!" she stated, quickly slapping Cid's face a few times.

Before Celine could slap him a third time, Cid caught her wrist. "Okay, Okay, Celine! I get it! Stop moping…" he mumbled.

Celine smiled. She seemed oddly radiant to Cid, as if she was trying to be happy for the both of them. "Yes! Stop moping! You got it! Okay I can go home now. I took a detour, because I thought it would take longer than this," she stated.

"So you took us to the bad part of town?" Cid asked, quickly surveying his surroundings. _Why do I have that chill in my spine again? It's that same one that I had before I stepped into King's house… _Cid told himself as he took notice of the obvious lack of people on the street.

"I'm just slightly directionally challenged, Cid. But let's get out of here. I'm getting goose bumps…" Celine stated, trailing off during her last statement.

"Yeah, me too," Cid stated in response.

They turned to leave, but they bumped into a man. _I thought there weren't any people on this street? _Cid told himself.

His heart sank as he noticed the large knife in the man's hand, as well as the numerous other figures stepping out of the shadows. Celine let out a quiet gasp as she quickly took notice of the situation. She grabbed Cid's arm for support.

The man with the knife smiled a maniacal smile, revealing rows of rotten teeth and blackened gums.

Something about the man rubbed Cid the wrong way. _Maybe it's the knife or the spooky entourage. Five… six… seven people, not counting the man with the knife._ Cid told himself. "Can we help you?" he asked the man, trying to sound stronger than the sudden weakness in his legs and gut suggested.

The man just held out his hand, the one without the knife. "Wallets, money, everything…" he demanded in a raspy voice. Meanwhile, the crowd was slowly closing in on them.

Cid emptied his pockets and tossed him everything, including his backpack. Celine tossed the man her purse and her own backpack, never letting go of Cid's arm. That's when Cid noticed that the man was eyeing Celine.

"I want the girl too," the man demanded with a suggestive smile. This elicited a few dark chuckles from the surrounding group of thieves.

"Cid…" Celine whispered in fear from behind his back.

The next series of events occurred in a total of thirty seconds. Cid launched himself at the man, knocking his knife into the air. Cid quickly disappeared into the shadows. The other members of the crowd, amazed at the speed at which Cid moved, were frozen with fear. When a gray blur reappeared from the shadows and took out three more of their numbers, full scale panic ensued. One pulled out a gun and began shooting, accidentally hitting another in the leg. The gunshot victim cursed his partner in pain while the gray blur quickly disabled his partner. One jumped the fence, disappearing into the night. The final one took hold of Celine.

"CIIIDD!" she screamed as the man covered her mouth with his hands.

The final man surveyed his surroundings. "Hey kid! If you don't want anything to happen to this gir-" he declared, unable to finish his sentence because Cid had landed on top on the man, freeing Celine from his grasp.

Cid connected a quick and malicious punch to the man's jaw, quickly dispatching him.

Frozen from shock, Celine found herself staring at Cid as he rose to his feet. They both surveyed the scene, which consisted of six unconscious men and one that was grabbing at his leg and screaming in pain.

"Call 911," Cid stated quietly.

"How did you **do **that?" Celine asked as she retrieved her purse, removed her phone, and began dialing the number.

"I don't know," Cid stated. _All I did was read and react, like King taught me to do. Did I really just take out __**seven **__grown men? This morning I just barely connected a punch on King, and here I am beating up a gang of grown men like I'm some kind of superhero or something…_

"Yes, I'm on Briarwood Street. No, I don't know where exactly, it's dark," Celine mumbled in the phone.

After a brief exchange, Celine hung up the phone. "The cops are on their way. They might be a minute though. I did say that this was the rough part of town. Even the cops avoid it," she stated.

"We need to go home," Cid stated.

"We aren't going to talk to the cops? Cid, we just got mugged. We should talk to the cops," Celine suggested.

Cid's eyes narrowed. "And how do we explain how all seven of these guys got knocked out? Don't forget, we don't have any scratches on us. Are we just going to tell them that I flew around like a superdude and knocked them all out?" he asked her in response.

Celine lowered her eyes. "Yeah, you're probably right. Let's just get out of here," she said, walking back in the direction that they had entered the street from.

"Yeah," Cid responded, following her off the street.

After about thirty minutes of walking, during which neither Cid nor Celine spoke due to shock from the whole incident, the two arrived at Celine's house.

"Cid…?" Celine asked.

"Yes?" Cid responded quietly.

"Thank you… I don't know how you did it, but you saved my life tonight," Celine stated.

"I don't know how I did it either, Celine, but I guess you're welcome. We just got lucky I guess!" Cid said with a smile and a chuckle.

He quickly noticed that Celine was staring at him again. There was a slight twinkle in her eyes. "What?" he asked.

"You're laughing," she stated with a radiant smile.

"I am, aren't I? Adrenaline?" Cid asked.

"I dunno, maybe," Celine responded.

After they shared a good laugh, Celine wrapped her arms around Cid in an awkward looking hug. "Goodnight Cid," she said as she turned toward her house.

Cid found himself staring at Celine's door a few minutes after she had entered the house. _Did I really just save our lives back there? How the heck did I just __**save our lives **__back there? _Cid asked himself.

Returning to reality, Cid began the walk back to his own house.

Ω

Upon entering the penthouse, he noticed that apparently no one was home. _King must be out._ Cid told himself. _Should I tell him what just happened? _He asked himself before ultimately deciding not to. Once he entered his room, he flopped on his bed. It didn't take him long to fall asleep.

Ω

After defense training with King the following morning, which consisted of Cid downing the much larger King numerous times ("I think I'm getting the hang of this," Cid told his disgruntled mentor), Cid decided to leave the house to "hang out with friends".

_I've got to figure out what happened last night…_ Cid told himself.

Upon catching the bus to the inner city, Cid quickly located a deserted alley. Upon entering the alley, Cid found himself staring at a brick wall.

_Okay, how does a person find out they have super powers? They climb on walls, that's how! _He told himself.

Placing both hands on the wall, he began climbing. _Hey! I can climb walls! _Cid told himself. At that moment, his hands and feet slipped and he hit the ground… hard.

"Yeow!" Cid screamed as he grabbed his back. _Oh my gosh. I feel like I got hit by a truck! No… I feel like a fat guy sat on me, followed by a buff guy hitting me with a hammer, followed by a truck hitting me. No… I feel like a fat, buff guy just ran me over with a truck shaped like a hammer… _Cid told himself as he tried to sit up.

After the pain had subsided, Cid found himself staring at the wall a second time. _Okay, so I can't climb walls… _he admitted.

He turned his attention to a rail that was attached to the building about 14 feet above Cid's head. Cid shook his head, laughing at the audacity of it all. _I can't believe I'm doing this._

He crouched and jumped. He jumped higher than he ever had before. He jumped so high that he was actually able to grab the bar. "Whoah!" he shouted, quickly noticing how high off the ground he was.

Letting go of the bar, he allowed himself to fall to the ground, instinctively performing a somersault to cushion his fall.

_Did I just do a somersault? A __**somersault**__? _Cid asked himself.

Upon realizing that he had actually performed a somersault, Cid looked at the rail, which was still fourteen feet off the ground. _Okay, I've never done a somersault before, yet I just did one. I've never jumped fourteen feet off the ground before. I don't think anyone has before, except for maybe that guy with the magic shield. But no REAL human has ever jumped that high, at least not that I'm aware of. Yet I just did… _Cid told himself.

Cid flexed his arms, which he quickly noticed had almost doubled in size in the past three weeks. Sighing and shaking his head as he thought up yet another crazy idea, he wound up his arm and punched the wall.

Searing pain echoed through his arm. "Ow…owowowowowoww…" he muttered.

_IDIOT! Why the f*** would you punch a freaking wall? _He asked himself in frustration, grabbing his wrist and writhing around in pain. It was at this moment that he noticed a very small, almost miniscule, crack in the brick wall.

_Did I just put a crack in a brick wall? _Cid asked himself.

Realization quickly flooded Cid's mind.

"Yeah, I've got superpowers," Cid told himself, grinning uncontrollably at the thought.

TO BE CONTINUED


	5. Episode 5: Genesis, Pt 5

_Genesis, Part V_

_Okay, so I've determined that I have superpowers… What now? Do I tell someone? Do I not tell anyone? Do I join some special school and play basketball with a guy that throws fireballs? _Cid asked himself as he made his way to his final class of the day.

_I can't believe that I'm even thinking about this! Okay, so two weeks ago, I'm getting decked by King. Flip-flop those roles now. Four weeks ago, I was in a hospital. Five weeks ago, I was the alienated child of two workaholic parents. Just how does this happen? _Cid asked himself as he took his seat.

"Good morning class, I…" the teacher began. Cid, however, was not paying attention to what the teacher was saying. He was still perplexed by his current situation.

_Okay, so far I can jump really high, flip like a gymnast, and put cracks in brick walls… ow… my hand still hurts from that. _Cid told himself.

Before he knew it, the bell rang for the school day was over. Cid was out of the door before the teacher knew it.

Ω

As he was walking home, Cid made his best attempt at piecing his life together.

He didn't have much time before he heard a series of screams coming from behind.

"Outta my way kid!" a man yelled, knocking Cid over as he bolted down the street.

A male voice yelled after the man. "Get back here with my stuff!" he yelled, but the burglar was quickly escaping his pursuer.

_Don't be a hero. Don't be a hero Cid… _Cid tried to tell himself, but he ultimately decided to be a hero.

_This is going straight to the top of my bad ideas list. Is it some rule that people with superpowers have to chase after burglars? _Cid told himself as he ran after the burglar. He quickly realized how fast he was running, easily faster than he had ever run before. Catching the burglar, he quickly dispatched him and grabbed the bag the he was holding.

"Drop the bag!" the burglar's pursuer shouted from further down the street. As he approached, Cid quickly noticed the dull silver of a small handgun being removed from the man's jacket.

"This isn't what it looks like!" Cid shouted, dropping the bag and throwing his hands in the air.

"You stupid kids, thinking that you can just take whatever you want. Next generation my a**. I'll show you a next generation," the man grumbled, stalking towards Cid like a madman.

"This isn't what it looks like!" Cid reiterated. Too late, he found himself dodging bullets and attempting to get away from the deranged gunman at the same time. Jumping in the air, he managed to land on the roof of a nearby house.

Cid watched quietly as the gunman searched his immediate surroundings for him. Losing track of Cid, the gunman grabbed his bag and fled in the direction that they had come, leaving the burglar laying in the street.

Once he was free from danger, Cid jumped down from the roof. Upon landing on the ground, a searing pain shot up Cid's side. Instinctively grabbing his side, he quickly noticed that he had not been quick enough to completely dodge one particular bullet.

Wooziness set in as Cid surveyed his shirt, which was quickly becoming bloodstained. _Oh s***… Oh S***! He shot me! He SHOT me! Wait… did I just DODGE bullets? Why am I actually __**surprised **__that I got shot? Ouch… he SHOT me! _Cid groaned to himself as he tried to pull the burglar out of the street.

Upon moving the burglar to the sidewalk, Cid began to walk away. _Why are the streets always empty when stupid stuff is happening to me? _Cid told himself as he noticed the complete lack of people on the street.

Cid slowly shambled onto another street, wondering why no one cared that he was obviously injured. Once he reached a familiar street, he zombie-shambled into a dark alley. _Everything that you DON'T do in horror movies. _Cid told himself as he propped himself up against a dumpster under the lone streetlamp on the street. "Gotta call King," Cid stated as he reached for his phone, the wooziness in his head slowly increasing.

Cid only had enough time to press the send button on his phone and mutter a weak "Help…" before he faded into darkness and slumped against the dumpster.

Ω

He found himself waking up in a cold sweat in his own bed. Pain shot through his side as he was cruelly reminded of the wound he sustained only hours ago. He once again reached down at his side, and felt a heavy gauze bandage where he had found a bloodstained shirt earlier.

It was at this point where he realized that he also had a major headache. He rolled over in his bed, with a roll that looked more like a butt shuffle than anything else. He checked the clock, 3:03am. At that point, the door opened.

King stepped into the room, carrying a huge plastic box of what were clearly medical materials. "Oh darn, you're awake. You aren't afraid of needles, are you?" he asked with a cynical laugh, placing the box on the bed.

Cid shook his head no until he saw the size of the needles. "On second thought, I think I might be afraid of needles," he stated.

"Too bad!" King shouted as he quickly removed the dressings from Cid's side, revealing a train track pattern of stitches adorning a gash that ran for about 8 inches in a diagonal direction.

Cid watched as King quickly cleaned and treated the still-fresh wound. "Okay, now I'm going to numb you up again," King stated as he dabbled a clear liquid onto a towel. He pressed the towel against his side, which sent a dull, throbbing pain throughout Cid's entire body. The pain slowly subsided as the sharp, searing pain returned around the scar.

King removed one of the larger needles. Cid's heart stopped as he saw him fill the chamber with a clear liquid. Cid found himself instinctively retreating from the needle as King finished prepping it.

"Don't be a child, Cid," King said as he deftly grabbed Cid and slid the needle into his side with minimal effort.

Cid felt his side erupt with a burning sensation for a brief second before all the pain in his side disappeared and was replaced with a dull numbness. "Wow…" Cid muttered as he began vigorously poking the gruesome scar on his side without fear of causing more pain.

"What the F*** are you doing, Cid? Really? REALLY?" King asked as he slapped Cid upside his head.

Cid recoiled from the blow. "Ow! I was just poking it, man! What was that for?" Cid asked.

King shook his head. "Do you WANT it to start bleeding again? I'm not replacing those stitches if they come out," he stated as he began to replace the bandages that he had removed earlier.

"Hmmmmm… I guess I didn't think about that," Cid said.

"And you probably weren't thinking before you got shot either," King stated.

Cid reflected over the events that led to his waking up in his own bed with several stitches and bandages adorning his wounded side. "How did I end up here?" Cid asked.

"How did you get shot?" King asked in response.

Cid scrambled to make up a story. "Well I was walking across the street and this guy mugged me and then shot me," Cid stated.

"Cid, you are a terrible liar," King stated, finishing the second layer of bandages. "What really happened?" he asked again.

"That's what really happened," Cid asserted.

"Cid, if he was mugging you, he would've been shooting you at point-blank range. You would not have received a grazing wound from a mugger. So what REALLY happened?" King asked.

"I tried to stop a burglar, but he shot at me before I could catch him," Cid stated, still trying to avoid telling his guardian the truth. The partial truth seemed to be enough for King, however, as he finished the last layer of bandages and began to leave. He stopped at the door to say one last thing.

"I'm not your father, Cid, so I have no intentions of trying to get the truth out of you. However, I would like to suggest moving a little quicker next time," he stated, leaving the room.

Cid found himself staring at the now empty door. _What did he just say? Did he just ask me to 'move a little quicker next time'? How did I even get here? Wait… HE NEVER ANSWERED MY QUESTION! _Cid screamed in his head, frustrated that he didn't press King for an answer.

Ω

Cid's outfit the following school day consisted of the only shirt that he had that was three sizes too large and the only pants that he had that were three sizes too large. Ronnie quickly noticed the blimp clothes, and immediately dropped to the hallway floor laughing his head off. Celine seemed to immediately see that something was wrong, and did her best to try to find out what's wrong.

"Cid, why are you wearing those ridiculous clothes?" she asked as she tried to ignore the snickering idiot rolling on the floor at her feet.

Cid avoided her intense and critical glare. "Nothing's wrong. I felt like wearing some comfortable clothes today," he stated.

Celine's eyes narrowed. "Cid, you are a terrible liar. And the fact that you are lying only makes it more obvious that something's wrong," she declared.

Meanwhile, Ronnie was catching his breath and picking himself up off of the floor. Dusting himself off, he appraised Cid's ridiculous appearance a second time. "He's hiding something, Celine," he stated in a rare moment of insight.

Celine shot him a puzzled look. "What makes you think that?" she asked.

Ronnie frowned, "One of my foster siblings did the same thing when she was cutting herself. She would wear clothes that were too large, cover up all her skin, and avoid eye contact when we asked about it," he said.

Cid felt the air around them become tense. _Uh oh… My friends are getting suspicious… _he told himself as he slowly retreated. "I'll see you guys afterschool!" he shouted, already halfway down the hallway, despite the fact that his pants were falling down, and leaving his friends with suspicious looks on their faces.

Ω

The walk home consisted of Cid deflecting questions from his friends about his outfit. Celine and Ronnie even followed him to his house instead of remaining at their own respective houses as they passed them.

"I don't cut myself, you guys," Cid stated.

"Surrrre ya don't," Ronnie said.

"Then what is it?" Celine asked.

"It's nothing," Cid reasserted.

"It's not," Ronnie countered.

"Is that guy hitting you, Cid?" Celine asked, referring to King.

"No! King is the only reason I'm alive right now!" Cid screamed. At that moment, he realized that he had made a mistake in saying that because now his two best friends gave him shocked and suspicious looks.

Ronnie grabbed Cid from behind and put him in a full nelson. "What's going on, Cid? I'm your best friend, for Pete's sake. If you aren't going to tell me what's wrong, then we aren't moving any further," he stated.

Cid had been in this spot before, but for whatever reason, Ronnie's grip seemed surprisingly weak, like he was barely touching him. Cid began to break Ronnie's grasp. Ronnie's frustration and shock was evident on his face as Cid broke his hold for the first time ever.

"Dude, when did you get so strong?" he asked, a wary stare in his eyes.

Celine shot Cid a concerned look, and at the same time tried to avoid Ronnie's stare. _She knows why I'm stronger… _Cid told himself, remembering the encounter with the thugs in the alley. _At least she THINKS she knows… _

Cid ultimately realized that he had yet to respond to his best friend's statement. "I've been working out with King," Cid stated, lying to his best friend. He smiled, another lie forming in his head. "As a matter of fact, I just have a really bad bruise on my side from my self-defense training with him," he continued with a wide grin.

Ronnie seemed to buy the story. Celine didn't, but she shrugged and accepted the story, at least for now.

They dropped Cid off, and they went back in the direction of Celine's house.

Ω

When Cid opened the door, King was waiting for him with the tray of medical supplies in his arms. "Sit," he commanded, motioning to a chair at the kitchen table.

Cid groaned. "Do we have to do this again?" he asked.

King sighed. "If you don't want to get that wound infected and DIIIIE…" he responded, emphasizing the last word. He approached Cid with the box of medical supplies.

Cid groaned again. "I'm never getting shot again," he declared as he slowly removed his shirt, revealing his blood-soaked bandages.

"Don't move around so much. You're reopening your wounds," King stated as he quickly removed the bandages and prepped the scar for the new bandages.

Cid wasn't about to forget to ask his question. "So how did I end up in my room with a perfectly stitched up gunshot wound?" Cid asked.

King chuckled. "How did you get shot?" he asked for the umpteenth time.

"Why do you keep asking me thi- YEEEOWWWCH!" Cid screamed as King stuffed the needle into the wound, causing the burning sensation to return to his side.

"If you really must know, I retrieved you from your ill-chosen hiding spot and stitched you up myself. The patchwork was simple enough, 23 stitches in total. Now I wouldn't suggest that you actually get hit by the bullet, as I don't actually have too much practice with that type of surgery," King stated.

Cid was awestruck. _Of course it was King… How else would he know how to treat the wound? _He told himself, smacking himself in the forehead in the process.

"So now you're a doctor? Where did you learn to do that?" he asked King.

"Where did I learn to do what?" King asked in response.

"Where did you learn to treat wounds like this?" Cid asked, poking at his side.

"You learn a lot of interesting stuff in 54 years of life, kid," King stated, finishing the bandages that once again adorned the wound.

"But HOW did you learn that? Were you a doctor or something in the past?" Cid asked.

King gathered his medical supplies and prepared to leave the room. "We all have pasts, Cid. I'd rather not talk about mine," he said as he began to leave.

Cid watched as King opened the door to a special elevator and disappeared behind it. Cid eyed the big steel door as it closed. _Where does that elevator go? _He asked himself. He had never opened the door nor dared to ask about it.

He stood up and walked towards the door. He grabbed the large steel handle that seemed so very foreign and menacing to him, and gave it a tug. _Of course it's locked… _Cid stated, as he applied more pressure to the handle in a vain effort to make it move. At least he THOUGHT it was a vain effort.

After the fifth tug, the twenty pound dead bolted door handle flew off of the door. The handles inertia carried it and Cid's hand over his head. Upon reaching the apex of his arm, the handle went flying, smashing into and obliterating the defenseless microwave where it stood.

Cid screamed in shock as he ran over to inspect the situation. _Ohhhhhh mannnnn… ohmanohmanohman… _Cid muttered to himself as he tried to piece the microwave back together, failing epically in the process.

At that moment, he began to hear the elevator returning from its unknown destination. "Oh s***..." Cid moaned to himself as he heard his impending doom approaching from the basement.

He grabbed the door handle and dashed across the room to try to replace it on the door. Once again he failed epically, as the handle fell from his hands and onto his foot. Cid screamed in pain, but stifled it as the elevator reached the top of its path.

In a final desperate attempt to avoid capture, Cid grabbed the handle and broken microwave pieces and limped as fast as he could to his bedroom. Upon entering his room, he hid both under a pile of clothes that he had pulled from his dresser, effectively creating a conspicuous mountain of crap on his bed.

The second he finished creating Mt. Cleverless, King appeared in Cid's doorway.

Upon entering the room, King immediately noticed Mt. Cleverless. "I'm going to go ahead and assume that you just tried to hide the microwave and elevator door handle under those clothes right there," he stated. "So why the f*** would you try to hide that stuff under a pile of clothes like I wouldn't see it? More importantly, how did you even break the handle in the first place and why were you trying to get into the elevator?"

Cid wasn't sure what scared him more, the idea of telling King about his newfound enhanced strength or King's complete lack of concern for the mutilated microwave. He smiled as a brilliant idea formed in his head. "We all have pasts, King. I'd rather not talk about mine!" he stated with a confident smirk.

That smile was quickly erased when he found himself in a headlock. Cid tried to fight out of it, but he could quickly feel the strength leaving his body. "There's no point in fighting!" King screamed with a crazed chuckle. "I'm applying pressure to your pressure points. You can't move right now. Just tell me how you broke the handle," he stated.

Cid, realizing that every escape effort failed miserably, decided to tell the truth. "I… have superpowers!" he grunted.

King released Cid and he fell to the floor in a limp heap. "Ya know, you're a bully," Cid stated.

King cracked his knuckles. "And you are a disrespectful teenager that doesn't know how my rules work. And the whole superpowers joke wasn't funny. Learn to tell the truth Cid. It could save your life someday," he said as he left the room.

Once again, Cid found himself with another question left unanswered. _Why did he just leave like that? If he thought I was lying, then why did he release me and leave without another question?_ He asked himself as his body came back to life and he pulled himself to his feet.

Ω

Cid found himself waking up with cold sweat for the second night in a row. He dragged himself out of bed and quickly found out that he was wide awake. _I won't be sleeping anymore tonight… _he told himself as he changed out of his wet clothes and into the clothes that he knew he would be wearing to school, a black thermal style shirt and blue jeans.

He tried watching TV, but he found that his room was unbearably hot for some reason, which ruined his interest in the TV. He removed his shirt, which accomplished nothing, and decided to look for a better climate. He tiptoed through the house in an attempt to find cool air while trying his best to ensure that King remained asleep. Upon realizing that the _entire house_ was hot, he stepped outside onto the roof. Frigid air assaulted his face as Jack Frost gave him a brutal welcome to the Crystal Springs cityscape. However, the air felt oddly relaxing to Cid as he put his shirt back on and went back downstairs so he could take a walk in the city.

Ω

_What am I even doing here? _He asked himself as he walked amongst the bustling city-goers, despite the fact that it was well past 1 a.m. in the morning.

He looked at the roofs of a series of shorter buildings amongst the skyscrapers. His thought process dragged him into an alley between two of those shorter buildings. He found himself thinking the unthinkable. _I'm going to jump on top of that roof… _He told himself, the fire of determination in his eyes. _I've done this once before. I don't remember how, but I did it. Now I'm actually going to try. _He told himself as he did a couple of practice squats to test his leg strength.

With a wry smile, Cid squatted and pushed off from the ground. A scream of elation briefly escaped his throat as he realized that the frigid wind stabbing at his face and the disappearing ground below him indicated that he had accomplished his goal. He instinctively tumbled in the air to break his ascension and assure that he hit his mark. As he descended to the roof, he attempted a smooth landing by somersaulting, but he instead flopped like a fish and crashed into a pile of conveniently placed cardboard boxes. He grunted as the wind left his lungs and a stinging pain reverberated through his side.

Undeterred, he quickly pulled himself to his feet. _Okay, I'd give myself a solid five out of ten for that one._ He told himself as he sprung into the air towards a second, slightly taller, building. Instead of landing, he propelled himself off of the second roof and onto the third roof in a complicated series of flips and somersaults. This time, he stuck the landing, and rose to his feet with a celebratory screech. "THAT was a ten!" Cid screamed as he fist-pumped the sky.

Ω

Cid was beginning to get the hang of this. He flipped and jumped and somersaulted over the roofs of the city buildings, even daring himself to jump from skyscraper roof to skyscraper roof. He laughed with elation excitement as he effortlessly jumped from roof to roof. Upon returning to his starting point, he allowed himself to plummet into the alley, easily reaching a safe landing upon his return to the ground.

Ω

After thirty more minutes of useless wandering in the city streets, Cid decided that he had had enough late-night fun for one night. He began his trek back to the penthouse, but a disturbing fumbling sound in his stomach forced him to stop at a gas station for food. As he was searching for a drink, he heard the shrill cry of a woman in peril. He turned around to see that several hooded figures had entered the store, and one was aiming a gun at the store cashier.

Cid frowned as he surveyed the situation. _Why does this always happen to me? Why does this type of stuff always happen to ME? _He told himself as one of the figures approached him.

"On the ground," the figure commanded, pointing his own gun at Cid.

This command angered Cid. He instinctively narrowed his eyes as he felt the excitement produced by the adrenaline beginning to course through his veins. _I'm not going to let this happen again. I'm tired of being the victim. I'm tired of the bad guys winning. I'm tired of people getting hurt. You've been given gifts Cid. At some point we all have to grow up, and your time is NOW. _He told himself, the fire of determination returning to his eyes.

"I'm going to ask you one more time," the figure growled.

Cid didn't give him a chance to ask again. A punch to the jaw, followed by a punch to the gut quickly disarmed the man. The two other guys in the store, hearing the commotion, moved to find out what happened.

Cid removed the first burglar's ski mask that he had been wearing and placed it over his own head. He gagged as the smell of must and sweat assaulted his nostrils.

At that moment, the lights in the store went out. The immediate darkness caused the remaining two burglars to panic and fire several rounds into the darkness. Cid heard people scream as glass and plastic shattered around them. _Move your fucking body Cid or someone's going to get hurt, _he told himself as grabbed the nearest standing figure.

Success! He had grabbed the second burglar. In a brief panic, the burglar tried to fire off another round, but Cid knocked the gun out of his hand before he had the chance too. Another body shot disabled the second burglar.

_Two down. One to go._ Cid told himself as a confident smirk formed across his face. Fighting, just like skyscraper parkour, was becoming natural to him.

The last burglar was in a fully fledged panic. Upon seeing his second comrade lying unconscious on the floor, he screamed and ran out the front door, fleeing into the night. At that point, the lights returned. Cid found himself staring at the terrified storeowner. "Just take the money, man," the storeowner moaned, throwing the cash in the cash register at Cid.

Cid ignored the cash and started towards the door. "Something had to be done. I would've wanted someone to help me if I was in trouble. It's about time someone took a stand," Cid stated. And with that, he dashed out of the store himself.

Ω

Cid still felt the effects of fresh adrenaline coursing through his veins when he returned to the penthouse. Upon entering the house, he noticed that he was still wearing the mask he had stolen from one of the burglars. He removed it and tossed it behind his bed when he entered his room.

_I stopped those guys! I saved those people in the store, just like I saved Celine that night. _Cid told himself as he finally returned to his bed at 4am. For the first time in his life, CideonCideion Rogers had taken a stand against the misfortunes of his life. As he fell asleep, he quickly realized that he had answered the call of duty. For at least one night, he had become more than a teenage boy.

For at least one night, CideonCideion Amadeus Rogers was a hero…

TO BE CONTINUED


End file.
